Music Director
Ronald Feldman

Two-time winner of the League of American Orchestras’ ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music, Ronald Feldman has achieved critical acclaim for his work as a conductor and cellist. He has appeared as a guest conductor with major orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, and the Quebec Symphony, as well as many regional orchestras, including the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Springfield (MA), Albany, and Amarillo.

After successful appearances as a guest conductor for three consecutive seasons at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, Feldman assumed the post of Assistant Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He served as assistant to Boston Pops Principal Conductor and composer John Williams from 1989 to 1993.

Seiji Ozawa, Conductor Laureate of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, called Feldman “an outstanding conductor…with a deep musical mind, which is clearly conveyed through his performances.” John Williams regarded Feldman as “a brilliant conductor who displays the best leadership qualities…and an outstandingly high level of musicianship that imbues his conducting style with strength, taste, and imagination.”

Feldman joined the Boston Symphony as a cellist at the age of 19 and played with the orchestra until 2001. He has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, performing a wide range of concerto repertoire from Dvořák to Ligeti. His many chamber music affiliations have included performances with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, Collage New Music, the Boston Conservatory Chamber Players, and the Williams Chamber Players. Other performances have included collaborations with violinist Gil Shaham, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianists Emmanuel Ax and Garrick Ohlsson.

Feldman recorded an all-Mozart album with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra of Bucharest, which received excellent reviews in the American Record Guide and Fanfare Magazine. In his review, Steven Ritter of the American Record Guide asserted, “the Mozart Symphony No. 29 is given a dazzling reading, effulgent and scintillating, with articulation and note length all in sync.” Bernard Jacobson of Fanfare Magazine wrote, “Feldman secures a polished and alert account of the Mozart Symphony No. 29.” Feldman also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and virtuoso trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in a recording of music by John Williams and Kevin Kaska.

In 2001, Feldman left the Boston Symphony Orchestra to pursue other musical interests. He has served as Music Director of the New England Philharmonic and the Worcester Orchestra. Feldman joined the Longwood Symphony Orchestra as Music Director in July 2012 and also serves as Music Director of the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, a regional orchestra in residence at Williams College. In addition to serving on the faculties of the New England Conservatory of Music and the Berklee College of Music, Feldman is Artist in Residence, Lecturer in Music, and Chamber Music Coordinator as a faculty member of Williams College.